Thomas Mary Berry

A leading scholar, cultural historian, and Catholic priest who spent more than fifty years writing about our engagement with the Earth, the author possessed prophetic insight into the rampant destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of species. In this book he makes a persuasive case for an interreligious dialogue that can better confront the environmental problems of the twenty-first century. These erudite and keenly sympathetic essays represent his best work, covering such issues as human beings' modern alienation from nature and the possibilities of future, regenerative forms of religious experience. Asking that we create a new story of the universe and the emergence of the Earth within it, the author resituates the human spirit within a sacred totality.

Among the contemporary voices for the Earth, none resonates like that of noted cultural historian Thomas Berry. His teaching and writings have inspired a generation's thinking about humankind's place in the Earth community and the universe, engendering widespread critical acclaim and a documentary film on his life and work. This new collection of essays, from various years and occasions, expands and deepens ideas articulated in his earlier writings and also breaks new ground. The author opens our eyes to the full dimensions of the ecological crisis, framing it as a crisis of spiritual vision. Applying his formidable erudition in cultural history, science, and comparative religions, he forges a compelling narrative of creation and communion that reconciles modern evolutionary thinking and traditional religious insights concerning our integral role in Earth's society. While sounding an urgent alarm at our current dilemma, he inspires us to reclaim our role as the consciousness of the universe and thereby begin to create a true partnership with the Earth community.

The world’s premier authority on religious traditions and his premier successor present a concise and timely guide to the history, teachings, and practice of Buddhism.

Guides readers on a personal quest for self-knowledge through ceremonies and interaction with the natural world.